Helpless
by The Curse of Forever
Summary: She was so damn sick of being useless. This time, this time there would be no waiting around for her to be saved.


**AN:** I've had this idea for a while, and I just figured out how to phrase it without sounding stupid while I was in the shower. Not much to say about this, after I saw the episode I've been thinking about it and playing around with the idea. Then I read a discussion board thingy about Winry and people were saying she had no real purpose other than being in a pairing with Ed, I disagree. Winry is there to remind the brothers that they still have family, no matter how unorthodox it may be, and for someone to worry about their safety, because they sure as hell don't, and to give them someone to 'keep moving forward' for. She's important to them, so she's also used as a pawn to control the brothers. They also say their romance seems 'forced' I think it comes very naturally, and the brothers had know her forever, she was bound to end up with one of them.

Rant aside, I think I'll take a crack at this before I lose my nerve.

* * *

She'd always known it was a possibility. She'd known he would refuse, do whatever it took to get out of it. But she never thought _she _would be the reason he would give in.

She could remember the conversation they'd had. She'd been saying how the brothers never told her about their lives.

* * *

"You guys never tell me anything about what you do or where you've been! I worry about you guys!"

"Winry, you don't seem to realize how dangerous this stuff really is!" Ed yelled back.

"And I don't care! I just want to be part of your lives!" She said, nearing hysterics.

"You _are _part of our lives! And that's why we're trying to protect you!"

"I don't need to be protected!"

"You don't get it!" He shouted, leaning over her. "This is bigger than you think! Hughes was _killed _because we told him some information and he tried to help us!" She stopped, falling more than sitting. Her knees felt weak and she had to swallow down the bile rising in her throat.

"What?" She hated how her voice wavered.

"I know you worry about us! But some things your better off not knowing! I've been kidnapped, tortured, beat to a pulp, and there's more coming! I just," he lowered his voice and stared at the floor. "I could never forgive myself if you got dragged into this mess because of me." She didn't know what to say to that. But he kept talking.

"Someday, they're gonna ask me to kill other people, Winry. And I'm gonna have to do it."

"I just hate feeling so useless, I wanna help you." He smiled.

"Winry, you already do. More than I would ever be able to thank you for." She gave him a watery smile.

It had been more than a wake up call.

* * *

Those words were haunting her now. As she watched Ed's retreating back, his words from then and the words he'd just spoken ringing in her head.

_"You are in a hostage situation ... I've been asked to fulfill my duties as a human weapon ... I may have to be party to mass murder." _He was going to kill people, even though he vowed to never take another life. And he was doing it for her. She hated it. She was being used to hurt him, make him do things he would never do, if her life weren't at stake. She couldn't even try to help them without causing them further trouble, she wanted to double over and cry. To wail her sorrows for the world to hear. But she wouldn't cry, that was one thing she had the power to do. He hated seeing her cry, and she wouldn't make him break a promise because of her own foolishness.

"Is it really okay Al?" She said quietly to the gentle giant separated from her by iron bars.

"A Philosopher's Stone is made by sacrificing the lives of many people," He said, still looking after his brother, before turning to her. She couldn't help the startled gasp that forced it's way past her lips. She could feel the horrified look covering her face. She turned back to the door Ed and Kimblee had left through.

"Don't worry," Al said leaning down slightly to be level with her. "Brother isn't planning to use it at all. We're thinking that there may be a way to get our bodies back by using Eastern alchemy from Xing, and a little girl who can use it is supposedly traveling with Scar."

"So he's making it look like he's going after Scar, but his plan is to get in touch with that girl?" She was starting to feel a bit less hopeless. Leave it to Ed to get them out of trouble. Al nodded.

"That's my guess."

"I see," She pulled away from the bars. She felt determination beginning to fill her with the familiar warmth she felt when she was working on a particularly difficult piece of automail. "Then I'd better think of a good reason too."

She was done, being useless.

* * *

Gah! I really hate how this came out. That was absolute crap. I really wasn't going to put this, but I feel so lazy for not putting anything up for a while. And because I love my fans, yes all three of you xD. Maybe I need to stop trying to write Winry, I'm so bad at it. I've been working on (okay, just thinking a lot about) a fic with Ed and Roy (not Ed/Roy), but it would have to be a chapter fic, which means I am utterly terrified to write it. Kinda makes me wanna curl up in a miserable ball just thinking about it. Gah, Ima go get some doritos.


End file.
